Scarlet Letter
by stopmyheart
Summary: Mona wears her Scarlet Letter proudly. A. She wore it better than Alison ever could, anyway. Includes Mona, Alison, a bit of Hannah, and everyone else who also deserves to die.


Mona has been in love with Ali ever since she first set her eyes on her.

Of course, everyone did, at the time—Ali was glamorous. Ali was popular. Ali was smart and clever and cunning and sly. Her hair was gold. Her eyes were blue. She was everything Mona wanted to be, and Mona loved her for it.

_(She hated Ali for it, as well.)_

But Ali never chose her. Instead, she set her eyes on an artist, a nerd, a lesbian, and a bulimic. The queen of monsters chose four little monsters to manipulate, and not Mona, the brilliant one. No. Ali chose Spencer Aria Emily Hannah. The perfect little princesses.

Her eyes were blue.

Her hair was gold.

Her name was Alison.

_(Mona hated Ali.)_

Ali chose oh-so-intelligent-Spencer, whom Mona had outsmarted a million times as _A_ already. Ali chose Emily, whom Mona had tormented. Ali chose Aria, whose creativity was no match for Mona's planning and Mona could keep Aria's father's secret better than Aria ever could, anyway. And Ali had chosen Hannah, whom Mona had loved, whom Mona had cherished, whom Mona had to try to kill because poor Hannah was in the way-

_(I'm sorry Hannah, but this is the only way. You know too much now. You know who I am._

…_You know who I am._

_I'm so sorry.)_

-of her plans.

…

Alison's eyes were blue. Mona remembers Ali's eyes so clearly in her dreams.

They were blue and they were mean and they were cold whenever they looked towards Mona. But Mona's eyes were never mean to Ali. They were loving and admiring and shining, because…because Ali had been her _hero._ Ali had been the only thing Mona could hang onto.

Of course, the rest of Ali's gang had been Mona's heroes, as well. Spencer was so clever, so smart and so sickeningly _perfect, _perfect little girl with perfect little grades from a perfect family (_how's your sister these days, huh Spence?_), and Aria had been so creative and artistic and her parents had loved each other, loved each other like no one else loves anyone in the whole world (_does daddy still love your mom? Does he even love you, sweetie?_). Emily had been quiet and kind and so godforsaken loyal (_you loved Ali, too, didn't you_), and Hannah…_Hannah._

_(You know who I am._

_You know what I've done, the nasty things I've seen, the ugly secrets I've revealed._

_You know who I am, Hannah.)_

…

For Mona, it isn't the lying or the secrets or the tormenting that keeps it addicting. It isn't the adrenaline rush or the drug of terrorizing someone or the _power_ she feels at sealing someone's fate that keeps her going.

No.

For Mona, it's the knowledge that one day, she'll be burning in Hell for all of this, right next to the person she loved/hated the most in the world, the person she looked up to, the person whom she tried to imitate.

_Alison._

_What's Hell like, sweetie?_

(Because they've both kept their secrets, and they've both got to be punished. Alison _and_ A.)

Because for Mona, the best place in the world is Hell, as long as Alison is right there with her. Which of course, Ali _will_ be, because Ali is a monster. A beauty _and_ a beast. Hell is Paradise for Mona.

_Love ya, Ali! Call me, text me, and I'll cul8ter._

_K. Thx. Bai—_

…

There are reasons for everything, and this is Mona's.

She wants to be with Ali. Because, after everything she's been through, after all the work she had to do, wasn't it_ her_ turn, yet? Wasn't it _fair_ that she got to be with Ali, at last? Wasn't it _fair_ that she would be the last one to see Alison, to watch Ali suffer in Hell like the bitch deserved?

It was _her_ turn now—

_Her eyes were blue,_

-and Mona wasn't going to let anyone, not a nerd, not a lesbian, not an artist, and_ not Hannah_—

_They were blue and they were cold and she_,

-not even_ Hannah—_

_And she was mean and she hurt me—_

-ruin it.

…

_Hey, Mona! Wanna flash those guys over there?_

Hannah. Hannah, wait, listen, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I've got to—

_Come on! It'll be fun! Aren't you always the one who tells me to be outrageous?_

-I have to, Hannah, wait, listen—

_At least lift some bracelets with me, okay? God, it feels so good when we do that._

-I love you. I love you, Hannah, you're my best friend, you know that don't you? I lo—

_You're my best friend, Mona. And I swear to God, we'll be the craziest bitches on this side of Rosewood for forever._

-love you.

_Mona?_

And I'm sorry.

_Mona, you okay? You're kinda quiet…_

I'm so sorry. I love you.

_Mona…_

I just love Alison more.

…

And so Mona looks up, flashes Hannah a grin, and says, "Nope, sorry, not today. I've got some things to take care of at home. But I'll see you tomorrow for a _,_ okay?"

When Mona looks into Hannah's eyes, she sees blue. Sky blue. Alison's blue. And Mona remembers. She _remembers._

_Ali was mean. She hurt me when I loved her. She left me and I hated her._

_Ali was a bully and terrible and a bitch. _

So later that night, Mona stares down at the road to where Hannah is standing. To where Hannah has just found out one of her secrets, for once.

Hannah. _(You're my best friend, Mona.)_

Alison. _(Mona's such a loser.)_

…

Mona revs her engine and presses down on the gas pedal. She stares straight into Hannah as she pelts her car through the night into her best friend's direction.

Hannah turns, her eyes wide. They're wide and they're blue and they're frightened, and for a moment, Mona feels a sick satisfaction, because she can pretend that they're _Ali's_ eyes, but—

They're not.

It's Hannah.

It's Hannah and she's looking at Mona and Mona's looking back. They're looking at each other and Hannah _knows._

Mona crashes into her, and Hannah's body crumples to the cement. Mona hears screams—Spencer. Aria. Emily.

Wordlessly, she backs up her car and drives away into the night, thinking.

_I should get a beer. The bars in Rosewood don't close until eight._

Inside, Mona smiles. I wonder if you could ever have _this_ much power over your friends, Ali. I have more power now than you'll ever have.

I'm _A._

You're just Ali.

A pretty dead girl.

…

_Love ya!_

_-A_


End file.
